This invention relates to a hanging emergency light assembly. More particularly, the invention relates to a light assembly which is designed to hang on a door knob or other fixture and emit a red colored strobe light or rapidly flashing high intensity light upon selective activation thereof for alerting and directing emergency service personnel or a nighttime delivery to the location of the user.
Many emergency situations arise at nighttime in a wide variety of locations, including near the road, at home, in deserts, in mountains, and many other places. Because many emergency situations require immediate assistance, it is critical for the emergency service to respond as quickly as possible in order to avoid harmful results. However, in the dark, it is often difficult for emergency service personnel to locate the person seeking help. Inability to locate the person seeking emergency help in a timely manner may not only result in harm and furtherance of an injury but also result in a person loosing their life while waiting for a medical assistance. Thus, it is desirable to have an inexpensive device that is capable of quickly alerting and directing emergency service personnel to the location of the individual seeking help.
Various references uncovered in the prior art provide emergency lighting devices with high intensity flash elements. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,847 to Scolari discloses a self-contained emergency signal having a base which contains a battery, a high-intensity flash lamp and a high-intensity flash lamp actuating unit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,482 to Powell discloses a night light belt provided with red or amber colored rear lamp and a red or white front lamp that is manually removable from the belt, for use as a portable flashlight.
In the field of lighted signs, many have been designed to illuminate street numbers of the building for facilitating the finding of a particular residential address. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,505 to Vanderburg discloses an emergency lighting apparatus which is activated by a homeowner in the event of an emergency. The emergency lighting apparatus includes transparent house numbers which are illuminated from behind, while a strobe Light is flashed. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,040 to Browand discloses a flashing address-indicating door sign comprising a casing having illuminable house numbers at the front thereof, wherein the casing contains red and white light bulbs which are selectively operable by a switch located inside of the house.
Despite all these emergency lighting devices, there is still a further need to provide an improved hanging emergency light assembly. Such a hanging emergency light assembly should be capable of alerting and directing emergency service personnel or a nighttime delivery person to the location of the individual seeking help or waiting for delivery. Moreover, such a hanging emergency light assembly should be positionable in an elevated position so that it can be easily seen by an emergency service personnel from a considerable distance, and eliminates the need to have the user manually hold such a light assembly.
While these units mentioned above may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.